Genomes shed light on the evolution of Begonia, a mega‐diverse genus

Clarifying the evolutionary processes underlying species diversification and adaptation is a key focus of evolutionary biology. Begonia (Begoniaceae) is one of the most species-rich angiosperm genera with ~2,000 species, most of which are shade-adapted. Here, we present chromosome-scale genome assemblies for four species of Begonia (B. loranthoides, B. masoniana, B. darthvaderiana, and B. peltatifolia), and whole genome shot-gun data for an additional 74 Begonia representatives to investigate lineage evolution and shade adaptation of the genus. The four genome assemblies range in size from 331.75 Mb (B. peltatifolia) to 799.83 Mb (B. masoniana), and harbor 22,059 - 23,444 protein-coding genes. Synteny analysis revealed a lineage specific whole-genome duplication (WGD) that occurred just before the diversification of the Begonia. Functional enrichment of gene families retained after WGD highlight the significance of modified carbohydrate metabolism and photosynthesis possibly linked to shade-adaptation in the genus, which is further supported by expansions of gene families involved in light perception and harvesting. Phylogenomic reconstructions and genomics studies indicate that genomic introgression has also played a role in the evolution of Begonia. Overall, this study provides valuable genomic resources for Begonia and suggests potential drivers underlying the diversity and adaptive evolution of this mega-diverse clade

Climate change : strategies for mitigation and adaptation

The sustainability of life on Earth is under increasing threat due to humaninduced climate change. This perilous change in the Earth's climate is caused by increases in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, primarily due to emissions associated with burning fossil fuels. Over the next two to three decades, the effects of climate change, such as heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, storms, and floods, are expected to worsen, posing greater risks to human health and global stability. These trends call for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies. Pollution and environmental degradation exacerbate existing problems and make people and nature more susceptible to the effects of climate change. In this review, we examine the current state of global climate change from different perspectives. We summarize evidence of climate change in Earth’s spheres, discuss emission pathways and drivers of climate change, and analyze the impact of climate change on environmental and human health. We also explore strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation and highlight key challenges for reversing and adapting to global climate change

Microscopic Understanding of the Growth and Structural Evolution of Narrow Bandgap III–V Nanostructures

III–V group nanomaterials with a narrow bandgap have been demonstrated to be promising building blocks in future electronic and optoelectronic devices. Thus, revealing the underlying structural evolutions under various external stimuli is quite necessary. To present a clear view about the structure–property relationship of III–V nanowires (NWs), this review mainly focuses on key procedures involved in the synthesis, fabrication, and application of III–V materials-based devices. We summarized the influence of synthesis methods on the nanostructures (NWs, nanodots and nanosheets) and presented the role of catalyst/droplet on their synthesis process through in situ techniques. To provide valuable guidance for device design, we further summarize the influence of structural parameters (phase, defects and orientation) on their electrical, optical, mechanical and electromechanical properties. Moreover, the dissolution and contact formation processes under heat, electric field and ionic water environments are further demonstrated at the atomic level for the evaluation of structural stability of III–V NWs. Finally, the promising applications of III–V materials in the energy-storage field are introduced

Study of the Dump Diffuser Optimization for Gas Turbine Combustors

AbstractDiffuser is one key component of the gas turbine combustor following the compressor. Its primary function is to slow down the air flow delivered by the compressor in order to promote efficient combustion and avoid large total pressure losses. The impacts of pre-diffuser wall angle and dump gap ratio on the performance of dump diffusers have been discussed in the previous work, but few work has been undertaken on designing diffusers with greater pre-diffuser wall angle. It was observed that apparent flow separation occurred on pre-diffuser wall when pre-diffuser wall angle amplified to certain degree. The pre-diffuser exit flow was distorted, indicating that the uniform exit conditions typically assumed in the diffuser design were violated. Skew distribution of the pre-diffuser outlet flow can result in strong transverse mixing for liquid, the total pressure loss of pre-diffuser increases significantly. In this paper, vortex generators were introduced to delay pre-diffuser separation. PIV system was used to obtain the velocity filed of dump diffuser in the non-reacting condition. Comparisons between experimental results and numerical simulations using different turbulence models show that Reynolds Stress Model (RSM) can better predict flow field of diffuser Calculations result indicated that vortex generators delayed pre-diffuser separation observably and the total pressure drop was reduced to five percent of previous value

Effect of Trace Mg on Impact Toughness of 2.25Cr1Mo Steel Doped with 0.056% P at Medium Temperature Aging Process

In order to investigate the effect of Mg addition on the embrittlement of Cr-Mo steels, the 2.25Cr1Mo steel plates containing Mg, P contents were refined with vacuum induction furnace and rolled with double-stick reversible rolling mill. The impact toughness evolution and microstructural characteristics of these steels after aging at 580 °C for up to 5000 h were systematically investigated. The grain boundary segregation behaviors of P, S, and Mg before and after aging were analyzed with auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and the microstructure characteristics of the steels were detected with optical electron microscope (OM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The research results show Mg addition can improve the impact toughness of the 2.25Cr1Mo steel to a certain extent even with 0.056 wt.% P doping. It was clarified that Mg can segregate to grain boundary during the aging process, and its strong segregation tendency can reduce the grain boundary segregation of P to some degree. The effects of Mg on the impact toughness after subjecting to 580 °C ageing, including element segregation behaviors at grain boundary, ferrite formation, prior austenite grain characteristics, and carbides at grain boundary were also identified and discussed

Ab-Initio Study of the Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Boron- and Nitrogen-Doped Penta-Graphene

First-principles calculations were performed to investigate the effects of boron/nitrogen dopant on the geometry, electronic structure and magnetic properties of the penta-graphene system. It was found that the electronic band gap of penta-graphene could be tuned and varied between 1.88 and 2.12 eV depending on the type and location of the substitution. Moreover, the introduction of dopant could cause spin polarization and lead to the emergence of local magnetic moments. The main origin of the magnetic moment was analyzed and discussed by the examination of the spin-polarized charge density. Furthermore, the direction of charge transfer between the dopant and host atoms could be attributed to the competition between the charge polarization and the atomic electronegativity. Two charge-transfer mechanisms worked together to determine which atoms obtained electrons. These results provide the possibility of modifying penta-graphene by doping, making it suitable for future applications in the field of optoelectronic and magnetic devices

Detection of Type I and III collagen in porcine acellular matrix using HPLC-MS

Acellular matrix (ACM) has been widely used as a biomaterial. As the main component of ACM, collagen type and content show influence on the material properties. In this research, the collagen in ACM from different tissues of pig were determined by detection of marker peptides. The marker peptides of Type I and III collagen were identified from the digested collagen standards using ions trap mass spectrometry (LCQ). The relationship between the abundance of marker peptide and collagen concentration was established using triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (TSQ). The contents of Type I and III collagen in ACM from different tissues were determined. The method was further verified by hydroxyproline determination. The results showed that, the sum of Type I and III collagen contents in the ACM from small intestinal submucosa, dermis and Achilles tendon of pig were about 87.59, 81.41 and 61.13%, respectively, which were close to the total collagen contents in these tissues. The results proved that this method could quantitatively detect the collagen with different types in the ACM of various tissues

Therapeutic targets for diabetic kidney disease: proteome-wide Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses

At present, safe and effective treatment drugs are urgently needed for diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Circulating protein biomarkers with causal genetic evidence represent promising drug targets, which provides an opportunity to identify new therapeutic targets. Summary data from two protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) studies: one involving 4,907 plasma proteins data from 35,559 individuals, and the other encompassing 4,657 plasma proteins among 7,213 European Americans. Summary statistics for DKD were obtained from a large genome-wide association study (3345 cases and 2372 controls) and the FinnGen study (3676 cases and 283,456 controls). Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to examine the potential targets for DKD. The colocalization analysis was utilized to detect whether the potential proteins exist the shared causal variants. To enhance the credibility of the results, external validation was conducted. Additionally, enrichment analysis, assessment of protein druggability, and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were employed to further enrich the research findings. The proteome-wide MR analyses identified 21 blood proteins that may causally be associated with DKD. Colocalization analysis further supported a causal relationship between 12 proteins and DKD, with external validation confirming four of these proteins, and TGFBI was affirmed through two separate group datasets. These results indicate that targeting these four proteins could be a promising approach for treating DKD, and warrant further clinical investigations.</p

Additive Manufactured Large Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glass Composites with Desired Deformation Ability and Corrosion Resistance

Zr-based bulk metallic glasses have been attracting tremendous interest of researchers because of their unique combination of mechanical and chemical properties. However, their application is limited as large-scale production is difficult due to the limitation of cooling rate. Recently, additive manufacturing technology has been proposed as a new solution for fabricating bulk metallic glasses without size limitation. In this study, selective laser melting technology was used to prepare Zr60Fe10Cu20Al10 bulk metallic glass. The laser parameters for fabricating full dense amorphous specimens were investigated. The mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of the prepared samples were measured by micro-compression and electrochemical corrosion testing, respectively. Lastly, Zr60Fe10Cu20Al10 bulk metallic glass (BMG) with dispersed nano-crystals was made, and good deformation ability was revealed during micro-compression test. The corrosion resistance decreased a bit due to the crystalline phases. The results provide a promising route for manufacturing large and complex bulk metallic glasses with better mechanical property and acceptable corrosion resistance